Custom didn't work out... what next?

[Rex_Rocker]

So you guys know I tried to tweak the Custom... and it was REALLY close... but it just isn't there.

Don't get me wrong... I love the aggressive high-end. I love the extra clarity from the high but not blistering high output. I've even learned to appreciate the scoopy nature of the mids. It's just the low-end is too much for this particular guitar in the tuning it's in with the heavy strings I like through my particular setup. It's a great pickup. I just don't feel 100% happy with it in this particular situation, and I really like how this guitar plays, so I wan't to love it the way I love my Gibson with the 500T.

So right now, I'm thinking of getting one of the following:

500T - Safest bet, I feel. I know I love it in the Gibson. But the Gibson is a different guitar altogether.
Black Winter - Another safe bet that I know I love.
Duncan Distortion - I'm pretty sure the Duncan Distortion takes the Custom a bit closer to what I want (leaner low-end and maybe more aggressive mids), but would it be enough of what I want? Because last time, it didn't work out on my Strat either.

So... which would you go for? Or is there anything else you might suggest?

I'm also considering the Bare Knuckle Brute Force just to try something different.

What would you do?

 

[beaubrummels]

Given the description, Black Winter. Black Winter has more balanced mids than a Distortion IME. Distortion is thinner and brighter to me.

 

[Seashore]

I haven't played a BKP Painkiller but it seems like their pickup that does the most of what you want for this guitar. If it was for me, Cold Sweat would be a safe choice. It's bright and clear and aggressive without being super high output. Elysian Trident II might be a good fit too.

The Brute Force is not a particularly bright or interesting pickup. It's pretty mid-forward. I had it in two guitars and it didn't stay in either. Duncan Distortion is a cool pickup but it has the same problem as the JB for what I play - string separation kinda sucks. Nice aggressive high mids and good pick attack on chunky stuff, though. Maybe it would work for you.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I haven't played a BKP Painkiller but it seems like their pickup that does the most of what you want for this guitar. If it was for me, Cold Sweat would be a safe choice. It's bright and clear and aggressive without being super high output. Elysian Trident II might be a good fit too.

The Brute Force is not a particularly bright or interesting pickup. It's pretty mid-forward. I had it in two guitars and it didn't stay in either. Duncan Distortion is a cool pickup but it has the same problem as the JB for what I play - string separation kinda sucks. Nice aggressive high mids and good pick attack on chunky stuff, though. Maybe it would work for you.

I've had my eye on the Painkiller for a while, but they do get pretty spendy here in Canada. I've researched, and it looks like the only way I can get one right now is to order direct off BKP, and that would end up costing me more than half what the guitar cost me in the first place, LOL.

I know we've discussed this, but I kinda like the idea of the Aftermath as well. They seem easier to find too. I just don't want to get a kind of expensive pickup to find out it's also got a big low-end like the Custom.

What's holding me back on the Distortion which is pretty attainable used or new is that I already had it in my Strat, and I didn't like it there *compared* to the 500T. The Strat is kinda weird, though. The LTD and the Gibson sound kinda similar, the LTD just sounds thuddier and rounder. But the Strat is completely different-sounding altogether. It's very bright acoustically, but with it having the pickup mounted like a mile off from the bridge compared to the Gibson, it has a tendency to make even the most aggressive pickups sound blunt. But the LTD is kinda halfway there. Kinda. Not as much, but it's certainly not as punchy and direct as the Gibson is with the Maple neck and the Maple top. The LTD has a Mahogany neck and no Maple top, and the bridge is slightly further away from the bridge pickup compared to the Gibson. Just not as far away as the Strat is.

 

[htrd]

I would try Lundgren M6. Very clear and articulated pickup, sounds a bit scoopy in the mids, but this is because of overall brightness.
Also Lundgren Black Heaven looks promising, but I will get it only in a week or two, so can't say anything about it.

 

[Seashore]

I've had my eye on the Painkiller for a while, but they do get pretty spendy here in Canada. I've researched, and it looks like the only way I can get one right now is to order direct off BKP, and that would end up costing me more than half what the guitar cost me in the first place, LOL.

I know we've discussed this, but I kinda like the idea of the Aftermath as well. They seem easier to find too. I just don't want to get a kind of expensive pickup to find out it's also got a big low-end like the Custom.

What's holding me back on the Distortion which is pretty attainable used or new is that I already had it in my Strat, and I didn't like it there *compared* to the 500T. The Strat is kinda weird, though. The LTD and the Gibson sound kinda similar, the LTD just sounds thuddier and rounder. But the Strat is completely different-sounding altogether. It's very bright acoustically, but with it having the pickup mounted like a mile off from the bridge compared to the Gibson, it has a tendency to make even the most aggressive pickups sound blunt. But the LTD is kinda halfway there. Kinda. Not as much, but it's certainly not as punchy and direct as the Gibson is with the Maple neck and the Maple top. The LTD has a Mahogany neck and no Maple top, and the bridge is slightly further away from the bridge pickup compared to the Gibson. Just not as far away as the Strat is.

What I really think you should do first is take the 500T out of your Gibson and try it in the LTD. You know the 500T well and you'll probably know if it's the right fit for the LTD after a couple minutes of playing, and if it's not, you'll be able to hear what you're missing. Maybe a little bit of a hassle, but it's free to try.

The guys at Bare Knuckle are pretty responsive via email, so you could get in touch with your concerns and see what they recommend. I've also gotten good BKP info talking on the phone with the Axe Palace staff. I think there are a few different options that would do what you're looking for.

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

So you guys know I tried to tweak the Custom... and it was REALLY close... but it just isn't there.

Don't get me wrong... I love the aggressive high-end. I love the extra clarity from the high but not blistering high output. I've even learned to appreciate the scoopy nature of the mids. It's just the low-end is too much for this particular guitar in the tuning it's in with the heavy strings I like through my particular setup. It's a great pickup. I just don't feel 100% happy with it in this particular situation, and I really like how this guitar plays, so I wan't to love it the way I love my Gibson with the 500T.

So right now, I'm thinking of getting one of the following:

500T - Safest bet, I feel. I know I love it in the Gibson. But the Gibson is a different guitar altogether.
Black Winter - Another safe bet that I know I love.
Duncan Distortion - I'm pretty sure the Duncan Distortion takes the Custom a bit closer to what I want (leaner low-end and maybe more aggressive mids), but would it be enough of what I want? Because last time, it didn't work out on my Strat either.

So... which would you go for? Or is there anything else you might suggest?

I'm also considering the Bare Knuckle Brute Force just to try something different.

What would you do?

Gibson 500t, DD, BW are all very similar pickups. In certain guitars/amps they would be almost identical.

With these 3, I would choose the DD, BW, 500t in that order. With the first 2 nearly interchangeable.
My 2 cents worth. Find a good deal on 1 and go for it.

 

[weepingminotaur]

I'd say just go with the Black Winter, but you know I'm a BW mark, so.

DD wouldn't be bad at all either.

(I had a similar experience with the Custom, by the way. It wasn't bad per se but it wasn't quite getting there for me. I just couldn't vibe with the low end and couldn't EQ my sound to get what I wanted. I went BW for the guitar and haven't looked back.)

 

[Masta' C]

Reading all your pickup threads over the years, I can't help but think that you need to spend less time pickup swapping and more time dialing in a programmable EQ, LOL!

 

[ErikH]

I think you need to realize that you won’t get this Strat to sound like your other guitars and it is what it is no matter what pickup you put in it. It’s going to be different. Decide which one you like best, stick with it, and adjust the EQ on your amp to go the rest if the way. If all your guitars sound the same or have the same bite and attack, why have more than one? Variety is the spice of life and music.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I think you need to realize that you won’t get this Strat to sound like your other guitars and it is what it is no matter what pickup you put in it. It’s going to be different. Decide which one you like best, stick with it, and adjust the EQ on your amp to go the rest if the way. If all your guitars sound the same or have the same bite and attack, why have more than one? Variety is the spice of life and music.

It's not for the Strat. It's for the LTD EC. The Strat is already set. Took some tweaking and experimenting with pot values, but it's as good as it's going to get, I feel. I'm satisfied with it.

 

[ErikH]

It's not for the Strat. It's for the LTD EC. The Strat is already set. Took some tweaking and experimenting with pot values, but it's as good as it's going to get, I feel. I'm satisfied with it.

That’s good. I’d unload the LTD then, or toss a Distortion in it and call it good enough. Same thing, adjust EQ as needed.

 

[Masta' C]

That’s good. I’d unload the LTD then, or toss a Distortion in it and call it good enough. Same thing, adjust EQ as needed.

This

 

[orpheo]

I'm thinking of the Pegasus or perhaps even the Nazgul. Both have that aggression and brightness in the high end (nazgul is even more aggressive) but without that extreme low end. It's super tight, but not boomy.

 

[Chistopher]

If you aren't a weenie you'll get a Lace Sensor Deathbucker set because everyone needs to try em at least once. The low end on them extends a lot lower than a normal pickup, but it all stays very balanced.

But I'd say if you have a DD on hand, might as well try it, at worst you burn a set of strings.

 

[misterwhizzy]

I can't believe it took me this long to think of it. PATB-2. Very DD-like, but a little more balanced than the Distortion. Plus, everything about the parallel axis pickups is awesome if you can get over the looks.